IPL: Second innings knocks that had more impact than a century

#2 Suresh Raina (87 vs Kings XI Punjab)

Best IPL inning of Raina's career.

No player in the history of IPL has single-handedly won more matches for a single team than Suresh Raina has for Chennai Super Kings. Having been part of the team since its inception in 2008, Raina is still the highest run scorer in the history of IPL and has played so many match winning knocks for the team under pressure situation. However, all of his knocks, even his memorable century, fades in comparison to the insane, lightening knock that he played against Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 playoffs.

In front of a wild crowd at Wankhede Stadium, Kings XI Punjab, who were asked to bat first, scored a massive total of 226/6 in 20 overs, thanks to a barbarian-style 122 run knock by Virender Sehwag. Chasing a near-impossible target of 227 runs, CSK got off to a dismal start as they lost Faf du Plessis in the first over. Someone had to take charge, and who better than the heart and soul of the team - Suresh Raina.

Targeting all the fast bowlers, Suresh Raina played arguably the most aggressive inning in the history of IPL. In just 6 overs, he took Chennai Super Kings to the 3-figure mark. He played a total of 24 balls in those 6 overs and played a knock of 87 runs, which included 12 fours and 6 sixes. Raina got dismissed in the first ball of the 7th over, ending his knock at just 87 runs in 25 balls. Even though CSK fell short of the target by 24 runs, they actually had the upper hand in the match when Raina was playing the inning of his life.